Seat arrangement for automobiles.



W. O. CORNWELL, JR. SEAT ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED 050,9. 191s.

LIQQSQQO Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. 0. CORNWELL, IR.

SEAT ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION HLED 0209,1913.

1,, i %,M9 Patented July 20, 1915.

1Q, 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

WXTNESSES 30 W swam/w! 7?? 5mm.

Q a! a g ,QZIRWENTQR WILLIAM O. CORNWELL, JR., OF TEXLI NE, TEXAS.

SEAT ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

ioness Application filed December 9, 1913.

T 0 all whom it 72 (2 7 concern:

Be it knowjalithat 1, WILLIAM O. Coax- WELL, Jr.,.a ci'tihen of the United States, residing at Texlihe, in the county of Dall'am and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seat Arrangement for Automobiles, of which following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in se t arrangements for automobiles, and is designed to provide seats for automothe 'bilesso constructed and disposed that they may be used in the ordinary manner and may be quickly converted into an elongated support after the manner of a bed or cot, either for sleeping purposes or for ambulance purpose resent invention 'is particu- While the larly adapts automobiles, ,it is by no means limited to such use, but'may be applied in some or all of its features to other types of vehicles. To simplify description, however, the use of the invention will be described in connection wit an automohilc,with the under; standing t at by so limiting the description the adaptability of the invention is not thereby limited, and the term automobile is to be interpreted as broad enough to cover any vehicle to which the present invention I may be applied.

Touring car bodies of automobiles arecustoma'rily provided with a wide rear seat and another .wide' seat for the operator of the vehicle and for a passenger. and in the larger types of touring, bodies auxiliary seats are arranged between the front and rear seats, which auxiliary seats are so made as to be "readily folded up out of the way when not in use.

By the present invention the back portion of the front seat is made into two parts separated at the middle and each part may be turned down Hat on a. level. with the seat portion of the front seat and on a level with the seat portion of the rear seat. and in he smaller touring car bodies this back may he made longenough to reach to the forward edge of; the rear? seat' llowovcr. in the larger touring: car bodies provided with auxiliary seats the baclis of the latter are so constructed as to permit turning them down until on a. level with the portions of tho other seats, whereupon the auxiliary ats Specification of Letters Patent.

for use in connection with Serial No. 805,579.

with the backs turned down flat can be ad usted to bridge the space between the rear edge of tho turned-down back portion of the front seat and the front portion of the rear seat, thus providing a level support like a continuous mattress, but which may be much softer, extending lengthwise of the vehicle and suiiiciently long to support the human body in a recumbent position. By dividing the back portion of the front seat midway of its length either portion may be let down, so that a couch or support half the width of the vehicle may be provided or the couch or support may he made as wide as the scating portion of the vehicle body, as may be desired. lVith such construction a touring car, and particularly one of the six or seven passenger type, may be very readily made comfortable for the occupants when forced to stay in the vehicle all. night. Again, the vehicle. body may be quickly adjusted to acmnnmmlate a sick or injured person with a physician and attendant seated beside the couch-lil o support, for in such instance but onchalf of the vehicle body need be converted into a couch, the other half providing seats for the physician or attendant and for the driver of the vehicle.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following dctailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this spm'ification. with the further understandim; that while the. drawings show a practical embodiment of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be cl'iangcd and modified so long as such changes and modifications ma rk no Ina tcrial departure from the salient features ol tllu invention.

in the drawings: Figure l is a, vertical longitudinal section through tliedrivci"ssido vof a vehicle. body showing the invention applied, but with parts not essential to thc umlcrstaiuliug ol' the Invention omitted. and

'' thc'scats arranged for the ordinary soatin 4 I i" of the occupants. V Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the scat backs let down and arranged as a couch or bed. Fig. 33 is Patented July 20 1915.

ion

of the hinges with some parts shown in section to disclose the internal construction of the hinge. Fig. 8 is a section through a portion of one of the seats showing the hinge and also one manner of supporting the back cushion. Fig. 9 is a section showing one of the supports for the auxiliary seats.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an automobile 1 provided with a touring body 2 and the showing may be taken as typical of any suitable vehicle provided with a front seat 3 and a rear seat 4;, while in the particular showing of the drawings auxiliary or supplemental seats 5 are indicated, but these last-named seats are provided only in larger vehicles designed to carry six or seven or more passengers.

The front seats?) are provided with backs 6 and the auxiliary seats 5 are provided with backs 7. Each back portion 6 and 7 has a main supporting board or frame 8 and an auxiliary board or supporting frame 9, the latter carrying guide memberslO adapted to an elongated guide member 11 permitting the back portion 9 to slide along the back portion 11 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. Each seat has a supporting member 12 which may be in the formof a board or frame and .the boards 9 and 12 carry cushions 13 and 14, respectively, these cushions following in their construction the usual practice in building vehicle bodies and especially automobile bodies.

The boards 8 are attached to the boards 12 by hinges 15, one leaf of each hinge being made fast in any suitable manner, as by screws 16, to the board 8, and the other leaf of the hinge being made fast .by other screws 16 tothe board 12. One leaf of the hinge, say that fast to the board 12, is formed with a pintle-receiving portion 17 having an enlargement 18 about midway of the width of the leaf, and the other leafof the spring is provided with pintle receiving portions matching those of the first-named part of the leaf, and a pintle or pivot pin 19 is provided for connecting the two leaves of the hinge together. Formed on the leaf of the hinge fast to the back board 8 is a sleeve 20 housing a spring 21, and through this sleeve and the spring therein the're is extended a pin 22 having a head 23 at one end, and at the other an extension 24 adapted to an opening 25 through the boss 18, A flange 26 on the pin 22 serves as an abut ment for one end of the spring 21, and

stop pin 27 projecting from the pin 22 and displacement.

members 29, 30 on the respective hinge leaves limit the movement of the hinge in one direction, so that when the stop members 29 and 30 come together, the cushions 13 and 14; are at the same level or generally horizontal. When the back is upright, the spring-urged lock pin 22 will move into the passage 25 and thereby hold the seat against By withdrawing the pin 22 against the normal action of its spring the seat back may be unlocked and dropped to the lowered position. To constitute a firm support for the seat back two hinges are provided near the sides of the seat back, and before the seat back may be lowered both look pins must be withdrawn.

There need be no difference in the structures of the front seats and the auxiliary seats so far as the backs and their connections to the bottom portions of the seats are concerned, and so the description of the back and hinge construction best shown in Figs. 7 and 8 applies to all the backs of all the seats where these backs are movable from theupright to the lowered 01' substantially horizontal positions or at angles between such positions. In the absence of the auxiliary seats the backs of the front seat 3 are sufliciently long to reach when in the lowered position to the front edge of the rear seat. lVhen, however, the invention is applied to a large touring car body where auxiliary seats are supplied, then the backs of the front seat need be made only sufficiently high for sitting purposes and the auxiliary seats are employed to bridge the remaining distance to the front edge of the back seat. Since the backs of the front and auxiliary seats are constructed to move from the upright to the lowered position, and the hinges are placed at the outer angle of junction, those edges ofthebacks'of the seats toward. the cushions of the bottoms of the seats would become spaced away from the bottoms of the seats, wherefore the slide connections 10 and 11 are provided, thus permitting the movement of the cushions 13 snugly against the corresponding portions of the cushions 1+, and leaving no gap when the backs are lowered, so that there is in effect a continuous cushion from the front edge of the front seat to the rear edge of the rear seat. lVhcn, however, the

backs are lifted to the upright position, the

cushions 13 are moved along the guides 11 It is customary to support the auxiliary seats?) in a manner to permit them when folded to be moved against the sides of the vehicle out of the way. For this purpose there is made fast to the floor of the body of llllfld'tlllclt. near each side between the swinging the post 32 in the socket 31 upon front and back SfliS a socket member 31 shown best in'l ig. 9 and supported at the lower end in this socket member is an angle post 32 having an upright portion 33 offset from the portion entering the socket 31.

Fast to the bottom board 12 of the corre-' sponding auxiliary seat 5 is another socket nnanlwrB r, while the upright 33 has an extension 535 having a hinge connection 36 therewith The socket 3 with the seat 12 may be moved lengthwlse of the lunged extension and the socket 3 is formed at one side with a slot 37 permitting a turning of "the extension and seat 5 upon the hinge-3G, so that the bottomof the seat may assume an upright position, and then by an upright axis the folded seat having the back 7 inline with it, may be moved close to .the side of the vehicle, 'in which position the post 32 may drop into one .of several notches 38 provided in the upper end of the bori'/.ontal position, the seat portion and socket ill, tbusholding the seat in the out of the any position. By turning the post 32 away from the position just described and by moving the seat 5 with its back 7 to the extended back may be brought against the. front edge of the rear. seat 4 with the back 7 toward the. center of the body and the front edge of the seat 5 toward the side of the body, and the width of the seat 5 and back 7 are so proportioned that they will bridge the space between the rear (l ge of the let down back of the front seat and the front edge of the seat portion of the rear seat. l. \Vbcn the auxiliary seat 5 with its back 7 in the ordinary upright position-is desired for ordinary seating purposes, the ost IE2 will then engage in a notch 38 holding the seat in the proper position for use. It will be understood that the cushion o-lthe back '7 slides on that portion of the back supported by the hinges 15 in the mariner described wilh reference to Fig. d avbich ligure may apply to either the front seat 3 or auxiliary seat 5.

\Vhen the seats are adjusted for ordinary travel, the arrangement is similar to that of any touring car body. but should it become desirable to provide a couch-like support,

the back of one of the seats 5 is moved to the lowered position and the seatis swung crosswise of the vehicle body until one edge of the seat portion and back portion thereof are against the front edge of the rear seat 4. and then the corresponding back portion 6 of the front,seat 3 is lowered until its upper edge is brought against the then front side of the seat 5 already adjusted. This produces a single couch suitable for the support of an injured or sick person, leaving ample room for an attendant, or an attendant and physician if the vehicle isfof the type having auxiliary seats, for the other auxiliary seat may then be arranged to-support a person sitting upright, and, furthermore. that "portion of the front seat usually occupied by the driver of the vehicle may have the back portion upright. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 4.

Should it happen that the occupants of the vehicle are overtaken by night at some place where accommodations for the night can not be had, then both auxiliary seats 5 and both backs (3 are utilized to form a couch or bed as wide as the vehicle, thereby making an over night stay on the road far more comfortable than would be the case .were it necessary to sit upright in the seats because of the lack of room to lie down.

Since the bodies of four or five passenger automobiles are usually shorter than seven passenger automobiles, it is advisable to proplished by providing a slide under the front seat which may be. drawn out forwardly or any other suitable arrangement whereby the support may be prolonged in a forward direction. Vith seven passenger cars the distance from the upright back of the rear seat to the forward edge of the front seat is sufficient to accommodate a full grown person in the prone position without the necessity of any lu'olongation of the front seat for the purpose. I

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. A vehicle body provided with a relatively fixed rear seat, and a front seat comprising a seat part composed of a supporting member and a cushion. and a back part composed of a supporting member and a cashion, the back cushion supporting member of the front seat being hinged to the seat cushion supporting member and the back cushion being slidably connected to the support therefor. whereby the back of the front seat may be moved from an upright position to a position substantially on a level with the seat portions of both the front andrear seats and the cushion part of the back of the front seat may be moved independently of its suption for movement toward and from the cushioned seat portion of the front seat inaddition to and independent of the movements of said back portion of the front seat from the upright to the rearwardly extended horizontal position.

3. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats both having seat cushions with the back of the front seat formed of a plurality of individually cushioned sections independent of the seat cushions of said seat, each back section of the front seat being hinged to the seat portion thereof for movement from an upright position to a position substantially on a level with the seat portions of both the front and rear seats, and said back sections of the front seat having the cushions provided with slidable connections with said back sections for bodily movement toward and from the seat cushions of the front seat.

4. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats with the rear seat relatively fixed and each seat having a cushioned seat portionand a cushioned back portion, the back of the front seat and the cushion carried thereby being divided into independent sections with each back section of the front seat hinged to the seat portion and movable on its hinge to a lowered position to bring the cushion of said back section on a level with thelcorresponding cushions of the seat portions of both the front and rear seats, said seat cushions maintaining their positions, and the'cushions of the hinged back sections of the front seats having sliding connections with said back sections for movement of the cushions toward and from the seat portions of said front seats to change the relations of said cushions to the front seat cushions in accordance with the raised or lowered positions of the backs'of the front seats.

5. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats extending crosswise of the body with auxiliary seats intermediate of the front and rear seats, both the front and auxiliary seats having the back portions movable from an upright to a lowered position substantially on a level with the scat portions of the front and rear seats, the auxiliary' seats being also movable to bring the seat and back portions thereof, when the latter are lowered, transversely of the vehicle and in bridging relation to the space between the lowered back of the front seat and the front edge of the seat portion of :auxiliary seats being also movable to bring the seat and back portions thereof, when the latter are lowered,.transversely of the vehicle and in bridging relation to the space between the lowered back of the front seat and the front edge of the seat portion of the rear seat, the auxiliary seats being adjustable independently one of the other and the back portion of the front seat b'eingdivided into independently operable sections.

7. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats extending -transversely thereof with auxiliary seats intermediate of the front and back seats, said auxiliary seats having supports constructed to permit the turning of the seats crosswise of the vehicle, each auxiliary seat having a back portion movable from an upright to a lowered position substantially on a level with the seat part of the auxiliary seats, and the front seat having its back formed in .a number of sections corresponding to the number of auxiliary seats and each section movable independently from an'upright to a lowered position substantially on a level with the seat portions of the auxiliary seats and the rear seat.

8. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats extending transverselfthereof with auxiliary seats intermediate the front and back seats, said auxiliary seats having supports constructed to permit the turning of the seats crosswise of the vehicle, each auxiliary seat having a back portion movable from an upright to a lowered position substantially on a level with the seat part of the auxiliary "seats, and the front' seat having its back formed in a number of sections corresponding to the number of auxiliary seats and eachsection movable independently from an upright to a lowered position substantially on a level with the seat portions of the auxiliary. seats and the rear seat, the back sections of the front seat and the backs of theauxiliary seats having cushioned portions in telescoping relation to parts of the backs carrying thenn 9. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats and with aiix iliaiyseats intermediate thereof, the front seat having a back portion made up of sections independent of the seat portions and movable from- :eieeeee an upright to a loweretl position, and each auxiliary seat having a hack portion operable in like manner to the sections of the back of the front seat to bring the seats and the backs of both the front and auxiliary seats all on substantially aflev'el with each other on either or both sides of the longi tudinal center line of the vehicle, the width of each auxiliary seat being substantially that of the distance between the lowered back of the front seat anal the front edge of the rear seat, when-by the auxiliary seats when extending transversely of the length of the vehicle body bridge the space between the lowered backs of the front seat and the front edge of the rear seat. v

10. A vehicle body provided with front and rear seats and with auxiliary seats in termediate thereof, the front seat having a back portion made up of independently operable sections movable from an upright to a lowered position and each auxiliary seat having a hack portion operable in like manner to the sections of the back of the front seat to bring the seats and their backs all on a substantial level oneither or both sides of the longitudinal center line ofthe ve hide, the auxiliary seats having-supports upon which they may he turned to bring the seat portions and lowered books into transverse relation to the length of the vehicle and in bridging relation to the spaces between the lower back sections of the front seat and the forward edge of the seat poo tion of the rear seat.

In a vehicle, a seat having a hack portion hinged to the seat portion thereof em provided with means for holding the hack of the seat in either the elevatefi or lowered positions, said. seal; having a seat cushion and a back cushion with sliolehle connec tions between the hack portion of. the seat and the cushion thereon, whereby the hack cushion may be moved along the hack portion of the seat to close the gap between the back cushion and the seat cushion when the hackis in the lowered position and to permit the hack cushion to rest upon the rear portionof the seat cushion when thelhack is in the elevatecl position.

12. In a vehicle provided with front rear seats, an {auxiliary seat having wheels portion hinged to the seat portion. thereof and movable from an upright to a iowererl position in line with the seat portion of the auxiliary seat, and a post for the seat pro videl with an offset swivel support and with a hinge connection to the seat for-the afi- I justment of the seat into clifiere nt relations with the rear seat of the vehicle. 

